The present invention relates to a timepiece (watch and clock) which displays time information such as hours, minutes, and seconds, calendar information such as date, day-of-the week, month, and year in digital form, using a liquid crystal panel, and time information using an hour hand, a minute hand, a second hand, and the like in an analog fashion.
A timepiece which displays time information such as hours, minutes, and seconds, and calendar information such as date, day-of-the week, month, and year using a liquid crystal display panel has been widely used in a wrist watch or a table clock which is equipped with a crystal oscillator circuit.
When time information or calendar information is to be displayed in digital form using the liquid crystal display, a predetermined display is performed by disposing an upper polarizing film and lower polarizing film on the top and bottom of the liquid crystal cell and utilizing a quality of a liquid crystal wherein an optical characteristic of the liquid crystal is changed when an electric field is applied.
Further, in the field concerning table clocks and wall clocks, a mechanism clock equipped with a decorative doll and the like which exhibits various movements at a predetermined time, and a clock which is combined with a liquid crystal display device, and exhibits various movements made by animals and the like at a predetermined time or at a user-adjusted time, have been developed. Therein, appearance and versatility are a matter of importance.
A motion such as an opening and closing of a screen is mechanically conducted at present to reveal the motions of a doll or the like to the viewer at a predetermined time. Therefore the movement is limited and the wear and tear occur with years of use.
Furthermore, in order to display a character, the liquid crystal display panel described above is sometimes used.
In a watch or clock using such a liquid crystal panel, time information and calendar information are displayed in digital form in a black display on a white background in an ordinary, normally-white mode.
However, digital display of time information or calendar information in only a black display on a white background is monotonous in design, lacks an interesting point, and loses its popularity among customers, which results in a decrease of demand of a digital display watch or clock. Accordingly, a digital display watch or clock with a variety of designs has been sought.
A method of shielding a portion of or all of a time-display section on a watch or clock in accordance with circumstances at the time of use or internal condition of the watch or clock has been studied, but the progress can not be said sufficient in terms of making the timepiece thinner and regarding the controllability. Switching between the display and no display of information, carried out by control of opening and closing of a time-display section of a watch or clock through the comand input by a timepiece user or a signal from the outside from a timer or comand communication method, or by using a portion of the time-display section itself as a shutter, is sought. However, the design problems of such a timepiece have not been erased.
Furthermore, in the case of a table clock or a wall clock equipped with a marionette and the like, opening and closing of a screen or a door to show the motion of the doll and the like to viewers are carried out mechanically at present, which limits the movement and also causes a disadvantage of deterioration occuring with years of use.
A first object of the present invention is to solve the disadvantages described above and provide a digital-type timepiece, analog-type timepiece or combination digital- and analog-type timepiece having a variety of designs. A second object of the present invention is to improve the design and provide a timepiece offering much variety in the manner in which the time-display section can be closed or opened in accordance with a control signal based on the circumstances where the timepiece is in use or based on a user-input comand, or in accordance with the internal conditions of the timepiece.
A third object is to provide a timepiece, including a table clock or a wall clock equipped with a marionette and the like, with an innovative design wherein, the display portion, such as a stage presenting dolls and the like, can be opened or closed whenever required without employing a mechanical means.
In order to achieve the aforementioned object, a time piece according to the present invention is a watch or clock having a time-display section and is provided with a reflection-type polarizing film, which reflects the light linearly polarized in the direction orthogonal to the transmission axis thereof, on at least a portion in front of or at the back of the time-display section.
The reflection-type polarizing film may be arranged so as to form a portion of the time-display section and occupy at least a portion of the display surface.
In these timepieces, it is preferable to provide an optical modulation section to vary a ratio of the amount of light incident in the direction to the transmission axis of the reflection-type polarizing film, to the amount of light incident in the direction orthogonal to the transmission axis thereof.
The optical modulation section is a means to make the reflection intensity and the transmission intensity variable for incident light passing through the reflection-type polarizing film, by making vary a ratio of the light incident in the direction to the transmission axis of the reflection-type polarizing film to the light incident in the direction to the reflection axis thereof, intersecting with the transmission axis at right angles.
It is possible to form a shutter which selectively performs transmitting and shielding of the light incident on at least a portion of the time-display section through the reflection-type polarizing film and the optical modulation section.
The optical modulation section may have a liquid crystal layer, an electrode to apply voltage on the liquid crystal layer, the second reflection-type polarizing film, and any one of an absorption-type polarizing film or a color polarizing film.
Alternatively, the optical modulation section may be rotatably provided with any one from an absorption type polarizing film, the second reflection-type polarizing film, a color polarizing film, or a grid-type polarizing film in a manner that the angle between respective transmission axes can be changed in relation to the reflection-type polarizing film.
The reflection-type polarizing film may be provided with an opening portion and/or a shielding portion.
It is suitable to provide a supplemental light source to irradiate light from a viewer side or from the reverse side toward the reflection-type polarizing film.
Furthermore, a film which forms visible information may be provided on the opposite side from the viewer to the reflection-type polarizing film and the optical modulation section which compose the shutter.
The present invention can be applied to a timepiece having a power-generating element.
In this case, the above described optical modulation section may have a function to make at least one portion of the power-generating element be a sensor to detect its power generation amount and to make a ratio of light incident on a transmission axis of the reflection-type polarizing film to light incident on a reflection axis intersecting the transmission axis at right angles be variable based on an output signal of the sensor.
The power-generating element may be any of a thermal power-generating element to generate electricity by means of temperature difference, a power-generating element which converts kinetic energy into electric energy, or power-generating element which converts optical energy into electric energy (a solar cell).
It is also possible to be provided with any sensor or a plurality of sensors from among a sensor detecting a signal operated by a user, a sensor detecting the applied circumstances, a sensor detecting a time displaying condition of the time-display section, or a sensor detecting a radio wave signal having a specific frequency, and to have a function to make a ratio of light incident on a transmission axis of the reflection-type polarizing film to a light incident on a reflection axis intersecting the transmission axis at right angles be variable in accordance with a detected signal of the sensor.
The optical modulation section described above can be comprised of a first polarizing film, a liquid crystal cell which fills a liquid crystal layer between two transparent substrates each having an electrode on the facing inner surface, and a second polarizing film, in order from the visible viewer side, in which at least any one of the first polarizing film and the second polarizing film is a reflection-type polarizing film.
The present invention can be applied to any one of a watch or clock in which the time-display section described above is an analog-type time-display section displaying hours, minutes, seconds and so on with hands, a watch or clock in which the time-display section is a digital-type time-display section displaying the time information with numerals, or a watch or clock using a combination of those described above.
In a watch or clock equipped with an analog-type time-display section or a digital-type time-display section, it is possible that any one or both of the time-display sections described above are provided at the back of a shutter consisting of the reflection-type polarizing film and the optical modulation section, and areas of a visible portion and an invisible portion of the time displaying section are controlled by means of changing the optical characteristic of the liquid crystal layer by applying voltage between electrodes of the liquid crystal cell which forms the optical modulation section described above, and that the section of the shutter corresponding to the invisible portion of said time displaying section has a reflecting characteristic.